Cub Tracks’ work in progress

Here at CUB TRACKS NEWS AND NOTES™, we have news for you.

Here’s where I stand — to me, spending isn’t the issue. The Ricketts have spent. And spent. What they don’t have, what I want, what I need, is commitment to winning. I haven’t seen that demonstrated, long-term.

And that’s enough of that. There was a game Friday night.

I like Duffy at leadoff against a lefty. I mean, an Andy Frain could bat against this edition of Luzardo, were they still around, but Duffy would play against a good southpaw with his patience and oppo tool.

Oh look! A highlight!

A good team would have had nine runs or so after two innings. A bad team would need them. I wonder if Adbert hits the IL.

Jesus Luzardo should have stayed with the simCubs. Winkler, too. Both of them throw spicy meatballs or miss the plate entirely. Hell, Winkler misses the table.

I’m trying to be positive. I’m trying. This is going to be a long game in a long season.

As always, * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font. In the text body. It doesn’t work in the headlines.

“Exploring changes in how the draft order should be determined makes a lot of sense,” Cubs player rep Ian Happ said. “We’re for anything which incentivizes winning.”

• Jesse Rogers (ESPN*): The end of tanking? How to make every MLB team try to win every year. “... fans of teams at the bottom of the standings are left with nothing to look forward to until next season.”
• Larry Hawley (WGN Sports*): A bad homestand adds another difficult chapter to the Cubs’ 2021 struggles. “Losing should never settle or feel good or be OK with anybody. I think my mindset is we’ve got to get better,” said David Ross.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Growing pains part of process for Cubs. “There is not much the team can do down the stretch in terms of fortifying the roster.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}: Cubs’ poor play is to be expected after trade deadline, but how temporary is it? “They’ll need to spend, and most importantly, they’ll need to be right.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Quantifying Hope: Can Cubs go first-to-worst or secure Top-5 pick? “... only the equally awful Pirates are keeping the Cubs from the bottom.”
• Maddie Lee (NBC Sports Chicago*): Hoyer: Don’t judge contention timeline off current skid. Why not?
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): No masking the truth: Jake Arrieta went out — his Cubs legacy be damned — in flames. “By the end, Arrieta wasn’t as good as the no-names who populate the team’s current roster. But how will he be remembered?” Patrick Mooney has thoughts {$}.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): How Arrieta saga instructive in Bryzzo, Báez discussion. “...Exhibit A for why baseball reunion tours are rare. And should be.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): You are not surprised: The Cubs did very poorly in free agency. “...the Chicago Cubs’ offseason. It was bad.”
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ young starters using final two months as audition for spot for 2022 rotation. Could Adbert Alzolay, Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson all be in the Cubs’ 2022 rotation?
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Rowan Wick happy to be back with Cubs after strange injury. “Wick pitched for the Cubs on Tuesday for the first time in almost a year, tossing a scoreless inning.” Meghan Montemurro adds on.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): It sounds like Willson Contreras’s knee injury really isn’t that bad. “It’s definitely not something that’s serious,” said Jed Hoyer.
• Glenn Shattell (MLB.com*): Underdog Schwindel ‘a real bright spot’. “I think he’s done a really nice job of making decisions,” Cubs manager Ross said.

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading.